Instructions

To make the chutney, lightly oil the jalapeños with the vegetable oil and place them directly onto a gas stove burner (alternatively, place them onto a hot grill or under the broiler) and char on all sides, using long kitchen tongs to turn them. The skin will blister and turn black in some spots—this is desirable. Allow to cool slightly, then chop coarsely and set aside.

Place the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and cook for 3 minutes, or until the ginger softens, but do not let it brown. Add the onion and sweat for an additional 10 minutes, or until translucent. Stir in the tomato, jalapeños, lime juice, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and cook just until barely heated through. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a 5-quart straight-sided skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the garlic and sweat until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not allow to burn. Add the corn kernels and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until the corn is tender. Add the corncobs (if they don’t fit in the pan, break them in half) and the stock. Cover and bring to a boil. At the boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the cobs from the pot and season the broth lightly with salt and pepper and the lemon juice. Pour half of this mixture into a blender. Puree until smooth and return to the pot. Adjust the thickness with a little more stock if necessary—it should be the consistency of thin soup. Leave the pot on low heat until ready to poach the fish.

To poach the halibut, bring the reserved corn broth to a simmer. Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper and carefully place the halibut into the liquid. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and allow the fish to poach for 8 to 10 minutes, or until fork-tender.

Place each portion of halibut into a shallow bowl and cover with one-quarter of the poaching liquid. Spoon a few tablespoons of the chutney over the fish and serve with the remaining chutney on the side.